A new version of Allo is making the rounds, and again with an evening release on a Friday. So far, no new features have been uncovered in this update, but we're still poking around for something to reveal itself. In the meantime, there's plenty of material to examine under the microscope of a teardown. We can see that contacting people through their Google account may be coming soon. Allo's upcoming camera effects are evolving as two old ones may have been removed, a new one turns up, and they're all getting new icons. And that's not all.

Teardown

Disclaimer: Teardowns are based on evidence found inside of apks (Android's application package) and are necessarily speculative and usually based on incomplete information. It's possible that the guesses made here are totally and completely wrong. Even when predictions are correct, there is always a chance that plans could change or may be canceled entirely. Much like rumors, nothing is certain until it's officially announced and released.

The features discussed below are probably not live yet, or may only be live for a small percentage of users. Unless stated otherwise, don't expect to see these features if you install the apk.

Contact through Google accounts

Earlier this month, we got a great hint from a teardown of Duo that we might finally be able to call people using their Google accounts, not just a registered phone number. It kinda went without saying that the same capability would be coming to Allo, and now some promotional text clearly confirms it.

All of the promo text is pasted below, but I've highlighted the key phrases that mention chatting with Gmail contacts and finding friends with their email address.

This should help a lot with the complaints that using Allo requires getting current phone numbers for contacts, which can be a tiresome process that takes a lot of time and added significant friction to adoption.

Camera effects

Camera effects are quickly becoming a regular appearance in our teardowns – for both Allo and Duo – but we've yet to see them actually go live in the app. This update brings a few notable updates to the topic as a new effect has been added to the list, two others seem to have been removed, and there are now redesigned icons for all of them.

Amazed Face Rays

We'll start with the new effect, which is called Amazed Face Rays. Like the other effects, this one will be listed in the app but requires a download of some resources before users can actually apply it.

If you're wondering what effect will come with amazed face rays, the icon in the next section probably demonstrates it pretty well. It looks like you'll have lines in a halo around your head, and I imagine they'll be glowing or maybe a bit faint to give the look of sun rays.

New icons

If you've been following our previous teardowns of Allo, you've seen some of the icons that will be used for the camera effects. The latest version includes completely redesigned icons. Not only are the shapes different, but they've grown larger and traded out the blue color for a simple gray. If nothing else, the icons look more representative of what the effects will probably look like – except the Bollywood Zoom, which looks...wrong. The old icons are included below for reference.

Goodbye Blur and Icecream-on-head?

If you're paying attention, you may have noticed the blur icon above was completely replaced by the amazed face rays. It looks like blur effect might actually be gone, as the text labels for it have been removed. Likewise, the text for the Icecream-on-head effect has also been removed. The icecream icon actually still remains, but it didn't get a revised icon, which could mean it's not actually gone, but I'd sooner bet somebody just forgot to remove the icon.

Camera flash

While we're on the subject of cameras, there's a fairly standard feature missing from Allo: Camera flash. The good news is that you'll be able to get some extra lighting soon enough. Flash controls are coming, they just haven't gone live yet.

Long-press menu in chats

Some new resources turned up in this release that suggest the long-press action in chats may be getting replaced. This doesn't appear to be a functional change so much as a fairly significant cosmetic shift. Instead of changing the action bar with the long-press, the new layouts suggest there will be a pop-up menu that hovers over your chat window.

The main sign for this comes from a layout named long_press_bottom_sheet. It describes a horizontally oriented list of buttons matching all of the potential actions you would already find in the action bar. The big clue that this will be a pop-up menu comes from the container for these buttons (named long_press_menu), which uses a background (named long_press_sheet_background) that has rounded corners. I know, that sounds tenuous, but it's pretty clear nobody is going to wrap buttons in the action bar with a rounded rectangle.

At this point, it might just be a test, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the pop-up menu become the home of those contextual actions, especially since it's a closer match to a lot of the other rounded elements Allo already has and will be introducing in the future.

Tabs?

I'm going to close on a few strings that seem to suggest there will be a new tabbed interface coming soon. Three tabs are named: People, Shared Media, and Settings. Right now, they are only referenced in some obfuscated code and it's not really clear yet what they will be able to do, but my initial feeling is that group chats may get a tab layout for convenient access to a list of participants, the attachments shared to that chat room, and its settings.

Download

The APK is signed by Google and upgrades your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.

Actually, a lot more than 10 people use Allo now. I have about 15 people I chat to with it alone. Half are on iPhones.

I'm sure this mindset of hoping that Allo fails, is pretty old.

VΞGAR

When are they going to include stuff that peiple actually wants? I've gone back to Messenger and realized it's leaps ahead.

QikOver

Are you trying to say that you want SMS but you don't want people to roll their eyes at you for beating a dead house? Because that's exactly what it looks like.

Don't know what your talking about, because I really want to start chats with new people using an email address. Locking people into using phone numbers was dumb. It should have been like this at launch, but they were trying too hard to be like WhatsApp.

andy_o

It's so out of touch to require it nowadays. Google didn't seem to understand that WhatsApp got popular in spite of being single-device, not because. WhatsApp got popular because it was innovative, didn't have competition, and most of all, saved people money, none of which Google has done. It has potential with Assistant but they need to get with the program with basic features too.

I just had a cousin visit from another country, and since I got her the T-Mobile tourist plan and I have the $30 5GB 100 min one I had to make sure she downloaded and registered Duo while she still had access to her country's number, so we could voice-call each other with an ID that wouldn't expire in 3 weeks, and also while she still didn't have the T-Mobile plan at the airport.

selonmoi

From that string, all that's clear is that you'll be able to find people by their email address.

That doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to register without a phone number, use multiple devices, etc.

I hope that will come, too, but I'm not hopeful that this is that. Not so soon after they released the stupid teathering web client. Why would they have spent a year building that if this change was coming?

VΞGAR

What I'm saying is:

- Seeing who's seen messages in group chats is a pain.
- Google Account integration is weak and you have to set a name and picture and verify your phone number everytime you reinstall the app.
- Pictures and videos are automatically saved to my device, which is very annoying as it takes up a lot of space.
- Messeages isn't backed up on a cloud, but on your device, which means that if you don't back up messages in Allo to Google Drive and later restote them, all your messages will be gone when reinstalling.
- Many users have reported battery drain, and it seems like it's because of the camera constantly being on - like Snapchat.
- Many users wants SMS support and they still refuse to talk about the topic.
- You can only use Allo on one device at the time.
- You have to have your device connected and online to be able to use allo for web.

That's to list a few. The biggest issue is still that people don't want to switch to this from other messaging apps.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, layout and content, but it is poorly done and needs a lot of work.

Yeah that's a big complaint from the iPhone user I got to download it. They don't understand why gifs show up. Truly is annoying. Textra for sms keeps them all within the app unless you manually select download which is very very nice.

Wish Allo dis that

SpadeX

Messenger? Yeah that's leaps ahead in being a huge memory hog on your phone. Pass. Allo looks definitely cleaner and it already has most of the features you'd need in an IM app, can't say the same for Messenger. Games? In a chat app? Pfft.

This used to be the most prolific cloud company in existence. Now they don't even know how to write a multi-device messaging service.

This joke of a service can still only run on one device.

ddevito

Pipe down. Quit the bellyaching.

Nana Adu-Krow

Cool complaint yo

Stevie V

They have no messaging strategy and that is a problem. An iMessage for Android will never be because Google can't stay the course with one main app. Would love to see Microsoft step in to challenge Google (and Apple) and offer all Android OEMs a new Skype SMS app to run as default. Would love to keep my messages synced between PC and phone as a true iMessage challenger.

zelendel

See here is the biggest issue with an imessage competitor with android. As all messages with imessage are routed to apples servers who is really gonna allow MS or google full access to all their messages so they can be stored on their servers. As well as having a constant open connection to those servers.

Stevie V

iMsssage is regarded a really secure messaging platform firstly. Users trust Apple like it or not. They have proven message relay through non-carriers can be done and trusted. It's such an opportunity for Microsoft to swoop in where Google has floundered.

zelendel

Apple users believe everything apple tells them and as it is a closed server that no one can audit. Soo sheep will blindly follow. Android users are not so blindly trusting. At least not yet. They are getting there though. Soon they will do what people tell them just like robots.

Stevie V

Per TechCrunch:

Your private keys are stored on your device. Apple never sees your private keys. When someone starts an iMessage conversation with you, they fetch your public key(s) from Apple's servers. Before that message leaves the sender's device, it's encrypted into something that only your device knows how to decrypt.

zelendel

Like I said people will blindly believe what people tell them. And with a closed system one can question it.

That's how WeChat works. IDK if they just hoping it. I hope not, bc wechat sucks

Filipe Gazinelli L. F. Werneck

Hopefully when chatting with GMail accounts is enabled it will be possible to use Allo without your phone connected, maybe without even registering your phone number.

Adam Neighbors

And maybe even having it usable on more than one device.

johdaxx

Then we'd nearly be back to how hangouts worked! :)

exadeci

It won't ever be possible, like WhatsApp chats are saved on your phone only.

So in theory neither google or whatsapp should be able to read your chats because they are not stored on their servers.

So you need to have your phone connected because it contains all your chats.

They could of course create a desktop client that restores the backups you
do on google drive but it would then require your devices to sync the
backups immediately but both app only let you sync then daily at the minimum.

I don't think Telegram is ugly at all... It's easy to use and I can use it anywhere. I think scan a QR code to login to web version is stupid.

Howard Stern ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

google should stop this and give us what we really want......fidget spinners

Ryan

So which was harder? Making these two apps and then slowly turning them into Hangouts or improving video in Hangouts and encrypting messages as well?

Lucas de Eiroz ™

People seem to not understand how hard is to re-write a code. Hangouts is based on Google Talk, a super old communication service. It would be impossible to improve Hangouts while people are using it, because the whole service (not only the app) would have to go through a serious re-work. Google would have to write and update all at once, and the ones who doesn't update right away, would not get it to work.
Since Allo and Duo uses new methods, new technologies, etc, Google was forced to make them as new apps/services. Is that so hard to understand?

Ryan

Evidence that they couldn't rebuild the hangouts messaging service while using existing accounts?

Its also taken a year to even get documentation that they are going to include a few of the basic functions that hangouts has, with still a TON missing. And after all of that its still got incredibly low use because its still an obvious beta product.

In this time they could have rolled out an entire new messaging service, called it hangouts and used your google accounts.

Nana Adu-Krow

It sounds like you write code! Please tell us more about the software dev process. I'd love to read what makes you so sure that they wanted the same backend?

Grey

What would be so hard to have Hangouts, create a Hangouts replacement in Allo - but with all the features prepared first. Then, like with Google Talk to Hangouts, have users switch to the new Hangouts. Or make them switch (as that Talk to Hangouts switch was a giant headache).

The answer is it's not hard because they already did it when they did Google Talk to Allo. Already. Did. It. It happened, not long ago, to all of us.

It. Happened. It can happen again.

chocolate_drizzle

Ya already know what Allo needs. If the horse is dead than I'm here to resuscitate it. SMS please.

Nick McClure

Yes! It's quickly becoming the next Betamax tape. Not much good to anyone if there's nobody to use it. I realize Google is sticking to the fantasy that they can someday help usher in the successor to SMS. But this sure ain't the way to do it.

skierpage

SMS is the only way I know to successfully message someone else if you don't know what messaging apps she has.

FU

No one fucking cares about SMS outside the shitty US market. Quit bellyaching about it... no one wants SMS.

We live in times when people use RCS, not SMS from 90s. That will be the next step of Google, to implement RCS everywhere.

zelendel

RCS is no where near as reliable as SMS. This is why many still have not made it their standard. Nor will it pick up everywhere. Mainly plases with data caps.

Nana Adu-Krow

That's definitely not why it wasn't the standard. The tech has been around for a long time but it wasn't until the past two or so years that the GSMA started to release their Universal Profile standards (and tech specs) to get everyone on the same board.

Data based messaging has been around for decades. It still hasn't become the standard. Now we can debate the reason for it all we want. In the end only time will tell. I know in the US is won't replace SMS. In other places maybe.

Nana Adu-Krow

??? All 4 telecoms have signed on for UP RCS?
Sprint is the only one that decided officially to use Jibe. The others are looking for other solutions adhering to UP.

zelendel

If you look at the link posted above you will see that many are using their own proprietary system. Carriers like att are only allowing their devices to use theirs. BYOD devices dont get to use it.

When are these camera features gonna be released!?! I keep reading about them but never see them. Don't wanna download the app lol plus bf is on iPhone so they can't

Lukuh

Just...SMS. Please. What the heck is the deal with Google. This could be a one and only opportunity to merge Android Messages, Allo and maybe even Duo or Hangouts to make it a direct rival to iMessage. All Android phones with
4.4+ OS I'm guessing could support this. This platform would get bigger than iMessage in a matter of 2 months! But noooooooo

Patrick Smithopolis

It looks like they're trying to take on Whatsapp rather than make it into another SMS app.

Whatsapp lost alot of its users in the states when facebook bought them. Not to mention it along with all the other apps facebooks owns are known for being the worst coded apps on the market when it comes to battery usage.

Nana Adu-Krow

That graph doesn't indicate a loss how many US users left the platform?

zelendel

I am not sure of the numbers outside those on forums looking for an alternative. Which most switched to telegram. Yet keep in mind that it was never really "popular" in the US. There is almost no need for that kind of app in the states.

Dude WhatsApp is the most used chat app around the world. A few countries? Lol. I know more people with iPhones that use WhatsApp isntead of iMessage because apple can't handle their servers and outages.

zelendel

And your point? Download numbers and app reviews cant be trusted as they have been proven to be manipulated.

JG

Why does Google have to "take on" WhatsApp or iMessage? Why not try to build the best chat app period, rather than trying to emulate a specific rival?

I've ranted about the lack of multi-device support several times before and someone always says "Well that's how WhatsApp does it." So what?!? I'm not using WhatsApp, I'm using Allo (well I'm actually using Hangouts, but). What's the point of simply building a WhatsApp clone? I might as well just use WhatsApp then since it already has hundreds of millions of users etc.

Instead, Google should be saying "OK, this is what they do, how can we do it better?" WhatApp's phone dependent system doesn't make sense. Why introduce another level of complexity? You have to make sure both devices are connected to the same WiFi and remain charged. These may be non-issues most of the time, but with Hangout's account based sync, I don't have to worry. While on vacation this summer, my phone had no data - cellular or WiFi. But I was able to stop in at a local library and check my Hangouts messages on a wired desktop.

Just because, for whatever reason, WhatsApp has opted to use one method doesn't mean Google must as well. It shouldn't take too long to modify the Hangouts code to work on Allo, and they obviously have the technical platform required to support it. So why be content sitting at parity, not one-up their rival?

If Google's aim is to maintain their own user base and possibly convert some WhatsApp users they need to step up their game and when possible, do something better, regardless if that something better happens to come from WhatsApp, iMessage, or even their own Hangouts.

Nana Adu-Krow

While everyone is screaming about this and that their engineers have been building out their product one release at a time. What makes you think their product roadmap didn't include a way to access their application on multiple devices at some point? The moment you mentioned modifying Hangouts code I could tell you don't know what you're talking about.

JG

The moment you mentioned modifying Hangouts code I could tell you don't know what you're talking about.

How so? I admit I don't have experience working for a company as large as Google... But I'm certain code gets re-used. There's no reason Google would need to expend the resources reinventing the wheel for every single app. Sure they are going to have to modify the code to fit the different app, but the underlining logic would still be the same.

Cael

They're fighting a losing battle. How many people do you know will ditch WhatsApp for Allo?

I don't know any on Whatsapp (that I know of). Most people I talk to are iphone, sadly.

Patrick Smithopolis

Why do they need to take on iMessage?

Cael

Because it makes better since to copy Apple. Get people into Allo and lock them into. Plus they would already be one upping Apple/iMessage since it's available on iOS versus no iMessage on Android.

FU

Haha what? A service that's just not mainstream outside US? Whatsapp is the over 1.5 billion users... and growing like a weed everywhere. They are right on trying to grab some part of that marekt.

Cael

Allo is never going to take down WhatsApp or come close to those numbers. Google is wasting it's time trying to compete with it.

Henry Dennis

There is a way to send SMS through Allo. Click on a contact who doesnt have Allo. Then select chat via SMS. The downside is that the messages come from a different number, through Google.

Lukuh

Exactly, which doesn't create a seamless messaging experience through SMS.

tim242

And that only works to Android phones, through Play Services.

JG

The downside is that the messages come from a different number, through Google.

Google Home is capable of using our phone number for it's caller ID... I wonder if Google could tweak that code to work with Allo, allow us to send SMS messages from our own phone number...

Of course, then the reply would likely be sent to our default SMS app rather than coming back into Allo. So unless Google updated Allo to have SMS support (which they claim would be a step backwards & refuse to do) we'd have to bounce back and forth between two apps...

Roopesh P

Great. Waiting for it

Soundjudgment ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

Alll this, and still.... STILL.... No SMS Support.

mike shwilly

Hope they fixed Duo PiP closing when Allo chat is opened

CSick

Here's my problem:
Out of my friends, about 50% have Android phones and 50% have iPhones.
about 90% of them can be reached via Facebook Messenger.
100% of them can be reached via normal SMS.
0% of them are looking for another chat app.

I don't want to have to use 3-4 different Chat apps to talk to all my friends.
Untill Allo will allow me to talk to at least 90% of my friends (without the confusion of my SMS messages coming from a strange number) there's 0 reason for me to ever use Allo.

JG

Untill Allo will allow me to talk to at least 90% of my friends [...] there's 0 reason for me to ever use Allo

How has this not been accomplished already?

Google has an Android and iOS app for Allo. According to your figures, 50% of your friends use Android while 50% use iPhones. 50% + 50% ≥ 90%.

All your friends will have to do is open their respective app store, download the Allo app and set up an account. Just like they had to do for Facebook Messenger to cover 90% of your friends.

Cael

0% of them are looking for another chat app.

CSick

Until they install the app, I can't talk to them with Allo.
Did you miss the part where I said that 0% of them are looking for another chat app? They're not going to install Allo.

It's not about the app existing, Whatsapp exists on both platform as well, but my friends don't use it so it's useless to me as well.

They didn't have to create an account for Facebook Messenger because they've already been using Facebook for years.

Lukuh

Finally, a reasonable comment on this page. You made DAMN GOOD points about this issue. The perfect situation would be if: 1. Allo supported SMS/RCS and I could chat normally to anyone without the need for the other person having Allo installed 2. If both had Allo installed and it would work like iMessage to iMessage does. This would be soooo easy for Google to do..

Only thing Allo needs to make me use it is to support SMS. Sorry, but none of my friends use Allo, no matter how awesome Google can make it, ppl tends not to get another new IM app, bc there are already so many.

sam

Allo would be great if you could send from Google assistant or android wear. But I guess getting Google to support its own products is to much to ask

F4LL0U7

So is this a way for it to replace Hangouts?

juice

This is huge! I have huge hopes for Allo even though everyone doubts it. It has way more hidden potential and receives way more hate than it deserves.

If you're actually interested in Allo and google's mess of messaging apps, read this reddit post and all of the discussion. This APK teardown REALLY makes it seem like we should be excited.